When a bottle is found on the side of the road, dirty and discarded; it has not lost it's value- it needs only to be redeemed. So it is with a man or woman in the eyes of God. We never lose our value- we need only to be redeemed. We are all precious in His sight! John 3:16

What is our part?

I hear a lot of talk in Christendom about the believer doing his or her part. It is said that if we do our part with reverent diligence, born of obedience to His commands; then He will do His part by blessing our lives and honoring us with His presence. On the other hand, if we do not do our part with reverent diligence, born of obedience to His commands; then He will not do His part, nor bless our lives by honoring us with His presence.

The problem with this line of thinking or teaching is that it is based entirely on the Old Covenant. A conditional covenant that God made solely with the nation of Israel, in which you and I never had a part. This covenant basically stated, ‘If you keep all my laws, statutes, precepts, and ordinances; then I will recognize you as my people. If you do not, then I will not be with you, nor call you my own.’ Of course the people of Israel agreed to this keeping of the law without realizing the impossible nature of honoring such a task; for no man is able to keep the law; which brings us to point.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God has passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ~ Romans 3:21-26

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says; ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ In that He says, a New Covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:7-13

Authors note:

My friends, there is a new game in town! A superior covenant based on better promises! This unconditional covenant is established in the unfathomable love of God; and is found only in knowing Jesus Christ. Praise be to the King of kings who has done His part, that we may live in Him and experience ours!

Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’ ~ John 6:28, 29

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ~ John 17:3

3 thoughts on “What is our part?”

Well-stated, George! We didn’t work unto righteousness but believed unto righteousness. We are righteous not on any basis of our merit; it’s God’s gift to us based on the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. We rest our mind on that awesome truth. It’s a heavy yoke to receive blessings from God premised on our conduct. In fact, it’s an affront against Christ’s finished work. We are RECEIVERS of God’s blessings and favour on account of Christ; not ACHIEVERS of blessings by our performance.